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16 Oct 2008 : Column 1448W—continued
Chiropody
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has published on the decontamination procedure for nail clipping implements used for chiropody care in the NHS. [226276]
Ann Keen:
The Department has not published specific guidance on decontamination procedures for nail clipping or indeed other procedures within chiropody and podiatry. However, the Department has recently started a process of consultation with the professional and learned bodies across the foot-care professions and many other groups within primary care. This will result in a specific Health
Technical Memorandum (HTM 01-07) Decontamination in Primary Care. Publication, following consultation and peer review, is expected in nine to 12 months’ time.
Dental Services
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists per 100,000 residents there were in (a) Chesterfield, (b) Derbyshire and (c) England in each year since 1997. [225899]
Ann Keen: The number of dentists with NHS activity per 100,000 population, during the years ending 31 March, 2007 and 2008 is available in Table Gl of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007-08 report. Information is available by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT). Information by constituency is not available. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006.
This measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. The revised methodology counts the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also on the NHS Information Centre website at:
The number of persons per NHS dentist in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex F of the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006 report. The information is provided by PCT and SHA. Equivalent information by constituency is not available; however the number of NHS dentists by constituency is available in Annex G.
This measure relates to the number of NHS dentists recorded on PCT lists as at 31 March each year. This information is based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also on the NHS Information Centre website at:
The dentist numbers published are headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will discuss with the Chief Dental Officer the development of a programme to encourage universal regular cleaning of teeth, with the co-operation of relevant manufacturers of oral hygiene products; and if he will make a statement. [226207]
Ann Keen:
The Department has been collaborating with manufacturers of oral hygiene products on oral health promotion since 2001. Under the Brushing for Life scheme, which was launched in 2001, free packs containing a toothbrush a tube of fluoride toothpaste and a leaflet on oral hygiene are given to families with young children in clinics and Sure Start Children’s
Centres. The leaflet is designed to reinforce the advice given by the health or social care professional, who gives the pack to the child’s parent or carer, about the importance of brushing with fluoride toothpaste in the morning and at night. Colgate-Palmolive (UK) Ltd was awarded the contract for the supply of toothpaste in the most recent competitive tendering exercise. The chief dental officer has collaborated with the company on a series of conferences to publicise the Brushing for Life Scheme and, more recently, to promote good practice in incorporating preventive measures in general dental practice. The chief dental officer has regular contact with the other major toothpaste and oral hygiene products manufacturers.
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there is a limit on the number of patients who can be registered with any one NHS dentist. [226268]
Ann Keen: How many patients a dentist is able to provide care for is a matter for the individual dentist, taking account of the contracted yearly activity he or she has agreed with their local NHS primary care trust to deliver. Registration is no longer part of the formal national remuneration system.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists have their surgeries on premises shared with private dental hygienists. [227435]
Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally. Most dentists are independent contractors, and many practice owners chose to offer both national health service and private treatment. It is for practice owners to decide whether to employ or engage a hygienist as part of their dental team, and whether or not to use them to deliver private or NHS dental treatment.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS dentists' contract requires dentists offering treatment under the NHS to provide dental (a) polishing and (b) cleaning services under the contract. [227437]
Ann Keen: The national health service contractual requirement is to provide all proper and necessary dental care and treatment that the patient is willing to undergo. A Band 1 course of treatment (diagnosis, treatment planning and maintenance) includes examination, diagnosis (for example X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, and scaling and polishing if clinically needed.
Dental Services: Fees and Charges
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average charge made by dentists for (a) crown fitting, (b) root treatment and (c) a check-up. [226267]
Ann Keen:
Dentists are not paid separately, nor are patients charged, for single items of national health service dental treatment. The present three tier system of NHS dental charges sets the charge payable by an NHS patient according to the overall content of each course of treatment. From 1 April 2008 the patient
charge for a band 1 course of treatment which may include an examination and diagnosis, treatment planning and preventive treatment, is £16.20. The charge for a band 2 course of treatment, which includes any necessary band 1 treatment plus any interventions such as fillings or root canal treatments, is £44.60. A band 3 course of treatment, which includes any necessary band 1 and band 2 treatments plus the provision of appliances such as one or more crowns, bridges and dentures, incurs a patient charge of £198. A patient does not have to pay for NHS dental treatment if they are aged under 18; aged 18 and in full-time education; pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months; or are in receipt of certain defined benefits, tax and pension credits, or qualify for assistance under the NHS low income Scheme.
The Department collects no data on charges levied by dentists for private dental treatment, which are set by the individual dentist or dental practice.
Dental Services: Greater Manchester
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients are registered with dentists in (a) Bolton and (b) Greater Manchester. [226269]
Ann Keen: Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with a NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to "registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services (“patients seen”) over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
Information on the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist in England, over the previous 24-month period, is available in Table CI of Annex 3 of the “NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 3: 31 December 2007” report. Information is available for the 24-month periods ending 31 March 2006, 31 March 2007, 30 June 2007, 30 September 2007 and 31 December 2007. Information is provided by strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT).
This report, published on 5 June 2008 by the Information Centre for health and social care, has already been placed in the Library. It is available on the Information Centre for health and social care's website at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0708q3
The Dental Services Division (DSD) of the NHS Business Services Authority has recently issued patients seen information at PCT level. However, this was for management purposes. PCTs have recently raised some issues which suggest that the way in which patients are allocated to PCTs across the various quarters needs to be reviewed. This means that sub-national information on patients seen was not included in the “Dental Statistics for England: 2007/08” report, published by the NHS Information Centre on 21 August 2008. The DSD has confirmed that this issue could have only a minimal impact on the national figures. They were therefore labelled as provisional pending the review. An update will be provided in the “Dental Statistics for England: 2008/09 Quarter 1” report in November 2008.
Dental Services: Private Sector
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an investigation of the effect of the takeover of dental practices by Associated Dental Practices Co. Ltd on the provision of dental services; and if he will make a statement. [226115]
Ann Keen: Associated Dental Practices is one of a number of corporate bodies providing national health service dental care. The company bids for NHS contracts on the same basis as any other company or individual practice owner. Since the reform of dental contracts in 2006, providers of dental services, do not control the level of provision of dental services but contract with primary care trusts to deliver an annual amount of service.
We are committed to increasing the number of patients able to access NHS care and welcome the growing interest of commercial companies in providing services to the NHS.
Departmental Pay
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost. [226420]
Mr. Bradshaw: There were 809 non-pensionable bonuses awarded to staff in the last year, at a cost of £2,423,701.
Special bonuses can be awarded to any member of staff in recognition of work beyond their normal range of duties. Annual bonuses are paid to staff who are members of the senior civil service (SCS), based on the extent to which objectives are met, how they are met and how stretching they are. The figures provided cover special bonuses for the year from 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008, and annual SCS bonuses awarded in 2008.
Diabetes
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average points score was for practices across each primary care trust for the 16 indicators for diabetes in the quality of outcomes framework. [225179]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what figures his Department holds on predicted diabetes rates in the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement; [225183]
(2) how many people with diagnosed type two diabetes there are in each primary care trust; and how many people are estimated to have undiagnosed type two diabetes in each such area. [225184]
Ann Keen: The Department does not hold information on predicted diabetes rates for the next 10 years. Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory's PBS Diabetes Population Prevalence Model forecasts that, if obesity levels continue to rise at the same rate, there will be over 3.2 million with people with diabetes in 2020.
| Scenario 1: Obesity rise continues( 1) | Scenario 2: Obesity maintained at 2005 level | |
| (1) Based on extrapolation of 1991-2006 trend in body mass index distribution in the Health Survey for England | ||
Information on the number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in each primary care trust (PCT) is not available. However, tables have been placed in the Library which show the number of people on diabetes registers (including both type 1 and type 2 diabetes) from April 2007 to March 2008, broken down by PCT, from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). Patients will only contribute to the figures in QOF if they are registered with a general practice participating in the QOF. The QOF only includes people with diabetes aged 17 or over.
The PBS Diabetes Population Prevalence Model can estimate the number of people with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in each PCT. The table shows the estimated number of people with type 2 diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) per PCT in 2005, the latest information available from the PBS model.
Health Inequality
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to develop a joint health inequality study with his counterparts in the Scottish Executive, Northern Ireland Assembly and Welsh Assembly Government. [226870]
Dawn Primarolo: No steps have been taken to develop a joint health inequality study. While responsibility for health matters rests with the devolved Administrations, there has been, and continues to be, liaison and co-operation between the Department and the other health departments on health inequalities, including meetings to exchange information on current work and strategy.
Health Professions: Training
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government has taken to ensure health practitioners are suitably qualified and trained. [226774]
Ann Keen: The publication of High Quality Care for All in June 2008 followed an intensive consultation with all the key stakeholders including patients, the public and staff. The report was warmly received by all and set out how the NHS work force will be developed, specifying how the Department will work with regulatory bodies, professional groups and commissioners to ensure that health practitioners are suitable qualified and trained to deliver high quality healthcare. The report has already been placed in the Library.
Health: Finance
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of offering free universal health check ups for everyone over 40 years of age starting from April 2009, as announced by the Prime Minister on 23 September; what the expected take-up rate is; and on what that estimate is based. [225951]
Ann Keen: The free universal check up for those aged over 40, to which the Prime Minister referred on 23 September, is the vascular checks programme. This will put in place an integrated, systematic population-wide vascular risk assessment and management programme for those between the ages of 40 and 74. The programme will assess people's risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.
The total annual cost at full implementation (including interventions to manage the risk of vascular disease) was estimated to be in the region of £250 million in the first phase of the modelling. This is in addition to what is currently being spent on vascular checks type activity in many primary care trusts. The estimate is based on detailed economic modelling work that underpins the vascular checks programme, on which we have recently consulted. We are reviewing our modelling and analysis in the light of this.
The expected take-up rate of the vascular checks programme we have used in the economic modelling is 75 per cent., based on the rate achieved in the national breast screening programme.
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